Projections for the aging population show that there will be 70 people million over the age of 65 in the United States by 2030, 30 million over the age of 65 in Japan by 2013, and the E. U., an increase from the current statistics of 85 million to 150 million in 2060. Currently, there are over 6.8 million Americans living outside of institutions and use assistive devices to help them with mobility, of which approximately 1.8 million use walkers.
Slips and falls are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in people 65 and over, with most falls occurring in the bathroom. One potential cause is that adults 70 and over lose an average of 40% of their upper body strength used to lift themselves up and away from a sitting position. This loss in strength is exacerbated when considering the strength necessary to rise from a squatting position when on the toilet. To prevent accidents in the home, many aging and mobility impaired people require a walking aid, bath/shower chair and other fixtures and a commode or raised toilet seat.
The health care industry has developed aids for those who suffer from such conditions, including crutches, walkers, rollators, and wheelchairs. Rollators are wheeled supports which aid individuals who have function in their lower limbs, but lack the muscular control, strength or balance to enable them to walk unassisted for any substantial period. It is advantageous for such supports to include at least two pairs of wheels in order to avoid the need to lift the device, and to facilitate its use as an ambulatory aid. Further, these devices may include a seat so that a user may use the device to sit and rest.
While government legislation such as the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that public areas provide accessibility to the handicapped and mobility impaired, this primarily focuses on those in wheelchairs (meaning those with very little or no mobility). Unfortunately, the requirements for an ADA-compliant restroom do not facilitate those with reduced mobility (i.e., difficulty sitting and lifting from a seated or squatting position, physically weak and unstable). For example, ADA-compliant toilets range in height from 16″-18″ from the floor, as well as, albeit uncommon; a height of 19″ in certain circumstances. Additionally, the placement of the grab bars in an ADA-compliant restroom can create more obstacles for those with reduced mobility. In certain circumstances, those individuals with impaired or reduced mobility retrofit their home toilet seat to be set at a minimum of 20″ height to eliminate the need for rising from a squatting position that require an exorbitant amount of strength and balance from those individuals. The same additional height will ostensibly be needed in public facilities.
Accordingly, there is a need for a rollator incorporating a commode seat, which is height adjustable and substantially splash free.